Diabetes: Long-Term Problems
regular basis. The sooner you know about it, the
easier it is to treat it, and the more likely you
are to prevent vision loss. Diabetic retinopathy
has no cure, but controlling diabetes can help
stop it from getting worse. If your retina is not
badly hurt, laser treatment or surgery can help
prevent more vision loss.
Diabetic neuropathy
Over time, high blood sugar from diabetes can
damage your nerves. This is called diabetic
neuropathy. It can affect the following nerves.
When you have diabetes, you are at risk for
having other health problems. This especially
is true if your blood sugar levels stay high over
time. High blood sugar levels damage your eyes,
nerves, kidneys, and arteries, which carry blood
through your body. As a rule, the higher your
blood sugar levels are, and the more time that
they stay high, the greater your chance of having
other health problems. The closer to normal your
levels are, the lower the risk of complications.
What are some of the health
problems caused by diabetes?
Diabetic retinopathy
Diabetes can damage the small blood vessels in
the retina, which is the part of the eye that sends
images to your brain. This is called retinopathy,
and it can lead to poor vision or blindness.
Retinopathy does not usually cause symptoms
at first. When you do have symptoms, they can
include blurred or distorted vision or having a
hard time reading. You may have floaters, which
are shadows or dark objects that "float" across
your vision. You may see flashes of light.
Because you may not have symptoms until
retinopathy is severe, see your eye doctor on a
The nerves that give you the sense of touch,
heat, and position, mainly those in your feet
and legs. The longer the nerve is, the more likely
it is to be damaged by diabetes. This can lead
to serious foot problems, such as sores,
infection, and bone and joint deformities. It is
the most common form of neuropathy. You may:
• Have tingling, tightness, or burning,
shooting, or stabbing pain in the feet, hands,
or other parts of the body.
• Have numbness or less feeling, most often
in the feet.
• Feel weak and lose balance and coordination.
The part of the nervous system that you do
not control. This includes the nerves that
control your heart rate, blood pressure, body
temperature, vision, digestion, and other
functions. If these nerves are damaged, you may:
• Notice digestion problems like bloating,
heartburn, or diarrhea.
• Sweat a lot at night or while eating certain
foods. You may also sweat only a little,
especially in your feet and legs.
• Not know when you have to urinate.
• Have sexual problems, such as erection
problems in men and vaginal dryness in
women.
• Feel dizzy and weak when you stand up or
sit up.
• Not know your blood sugar is low.
One nerve or group of nerves. This can cause
muscle weakness and pain, mainly in the wrist,
thigh, or foot. It may also affect the nerves of
the back and chest and those that control the eye
muscles. This rare form usually occurs suddenly.
You may:
• Have pain or weakness in one part of your
body, such as a wrist, thigh, or foot.
• Have pain in and around one of your eyes,
difficulty moving your eyes, and double
vision.
There is no cure for diabetic neuropathy, but
you can keep it from getting worse by keeping
your blood sugar within a target range. Your
doctor may suggest medicine or physical therapy
for pain. Take good care of your feet to help
avoid foot infections.
Diabetic nephropathy
Diabetic nephropathy is kidney damage caused
by having high blood sugar for a long time. This
affects how the kidneys filter fluids, and it lets
protein that should stay in the blood pass into
the urine. If not treated, this can lead to kidney
failure. To help find it early, your doctor may
do tests that check how well your kidneys are
filtering your blood and how much protein is in
your urine.
You have no symptoms at first. A little bit of
protein in the urine is the first sign of kidney
damage. When your kidneys work poorly, your
blood pressure may go up and you may have
swelling, at first in your feet and legs. Medicine
that lowers blood pressure and protects the
kidneys can help. To prevent kidney damage or
keep it from getting worse, eat healthy foods,
exercise, limit alcohol, don't smoke, and keep
your blood sugar within a target range. Also,
talk to your doctor or dietitian about how much
protein is best for you.
Heart disease
High levels of blood sugar can hurt the lining
of your arteries and speed the buildup of fat and
calcium in blood vessel walls. People with
diabetes also have a greater risk of having high
cholesterol. When this occurs in the heart's blood
vessels, or coronary arteries, less blood and
oxygen get to the heart. This is known as
coronary artery disease, or CAD. CAD can lead
to chest pain and even a heart attack. To treat
CAD, you need to control your blood sugar
levels. To prevent or delay CAD, take the
medicine your doctor suggests, exercise, don't
smoke, control your blood pressure, and eat
healthy.
How can you reduce your risk?
The most important thing you can do is keep
your blood sugar under control. To do this, take
your insulin or other diabetes medicines as your
doctor tells you, check your blood sugar level
often, follow your diet for diabetes, exercise,
and see your doctor on a regular basis. Seeing
your doctor is very important because you may
have no symptoms from these problems. The
earlier you can treat them, the more likely you
can avoid complications and prevent the
problem from getting worse.
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of this information, which does not replace medical advice. 2015-05-ug3281